Mounting and holddown means for truck body decks



June 17, 1958 w. F. SIMPKINS MOUNTING ANUHOLDDOWN MEANS FOR TRUCK BODY DECKS Filed Dec. 18, .1956

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY WM mm United States Patent MOUNTING AND HOLDDOWN MEANS FOR TRUCK BODY DECKS Walter F. Simpkins, Joneshoro, Ark., assignor of twentyfive percent to Frank Snellgrove, Jonesboro, ten percent to Arvel L. Wall, Bay, twenty-one and two-thirds percent to George P. Simpkins, Jonesboro, and twenty-one and two-thirds percent to Mary Elizabeth Thompson, Marked Tree, Ark.

Application December 18, 1956, Serial No. 629,009

Claims. (Cl. 296-28) My invention relates to mounting and holddown means for deck forming boards for trailer-truck bodies, and is designed as an improvement over the deck and wall forming equipment of my eopending application Serial No. 629,008 filed December 18, 1956.

The primary object of my invention is to provide holddown means engageable with corresponding ends of a set of deck forming boards simultaneously from the rear end of the trailer body and lockable at said rear end to quickly and securely hold the deck forming boards down on supporting track bars against bouncing and rattling on the bars.

Another object is to accomplish the above by quick acting rocker means of inexpensive durable construction.

Other and subordinate objects, together with the precise nature of my improvements will become readily apparent when the following description and claims are read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in plan of a trailertruck body embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in plan of the tail end portion of the truck body embodying my invention; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective, partly in section and in broken lines.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my invention has been illustrated therein as embodied in a truck-trailer body I mounted on a conventional chasssis 3 and having a bed 5, a semi-cylindrical front end 7, sides 9 comprising stakes 11 and horizontal slats 13, a similar stake and slat tailgate 15, and a front semi-circular, plank deck section 17 bolted, as at 19, on a semi-circular bar 21 suitably secured in the front end 7.

According to my invention, mounting and holddown means are provided for a set of deck boards 23 adapted to extend crosswise in the body 1 to complete a deck extending from the deck section 17 to the tailgate 15.

The mounting means comprises a pair of angle bars 25 extending horizontally along opposite sides 9 of the body 1, with channel sides uppermost, and bolted as at 27 inside the body 1 to slats 13 of said sides 9 so that the ends of the boards 23 can be slidably supported on said bars 25 and said boards 23 may be slid along the bars a:

successively, beginning with the front board to position the boards in deck forming relation. Pins 29 in the ends of the boards 23extending through openings, as at 31, in the bars 25 prevent creeping of the boards 23 along said bars 25.

The holddown means comprises a pair of rocker members 33 extending horizontally inside the body 1 along ice the sides 9 in overlying relation to the ends of the boards 23 and the bars 25.

The rocker members 33 each comprise a rock shaft 35 journaled in eye members 37 on the bars 25 spaced along said bars, a holddown shaft 39 parallel to and spaced fromthe rock shaft 35 and cross plates 41 overlying and spaced along said shafts 35, 39 and welded thereto as at 43, 45, and whereby rocking of said shafts 35 in one direction will swing the holddown shafts 39 down against the adjacent ends of the boards 23 into holddown position, whereas rocking of the rock shafts 35 in the opposite direction will raise the holddown shafts 39 to disengage said boards 23 for removal of said boards.

The rock shafts 35 extend through the slat tailgate 15 rearwardly thereof and are provided with operating cranks comprising a crank arm 47 pivoted at one end by a cross pin 49 in a rear end fork 51 on the rock shaft 35, and a handle bar 53 having a forked end 55 pivoted by a cross pin 57 on the other end of the crank arm 47. The crank arm 47 and handle bar 53 are pivotally connected to the rock shaft 35 and to each other for swinging into crank forming position as shown by broken lines in Figure 6, or, for swinging to straighten the same out so that they may be inserted between the slats 59 of the tailgate 15 to extend rearwardly thereof and permit the tailgate 15 to be closed and opened.

Means for locking the crank arms 47 to lock the holddown members 33 comprises a pair of right angled locking plates 61 suitably secured to each side 9 of the body 1 at the tail end of the body below the rock shafts 33 and having lateral studs thereon, as at 63, the crank arms 47 having central openings, as at 65, therein, for passing the studs therethrough for locking of said crank arms on said studs by a cotter pin 67 in each stud. The locking plates 61 extend through the tailgate 15.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood. When the boards 23 are positioned on the bars 25 in deck forming position, the crank arms 47 and handles 53 are operated as cranks to rock the rock shafts 33 in the proper direction to swing theholddown shafts 39 into holddown position against the ends of the boards 23. In this position of the holddown shafts 33, the crank arms 47 are in pendant substantially vertical position, as shown in Figure 6, and may be swung laterally to pass the studs 63 through said crank arms for locking on said studs 63 to the locking plates 61 by the cotter pins 67. Thus the holddown members 33 are locked in holddown position and prevent the boards from bouncing on the bars 25.

By removing the cotter pins 67, the crank arms 47 can be unlocked to unlock the holddown members 33 for swinging of the holddown shafts 39 upwardly to release the boards 23 for removal in a manner which will be clear, after the pins 29 have been removed.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a trailer body having sides and a slat tailgate and a set of boards extending across said body and forming a deck therein, a pair of horizontal bars inside said body fixed to and extending along said sides and supporting the ends of said boards thereon, a pair of elongated holddown members in said body extending horizontally along said sides above the ends of the boards and swingable downwardly onto the ends of the boards into holddown positions, said members each including a horizontal rock shaft for swinging said members operatively connected to said members and extending through the slat tailgate rearwardly thereof, crank means on each rock shaft in the rear of the tailgate for rocking the shaft, and locking means for said crank means.

2. The combination of claim 1, said members each comprising a holddown shaft and cross plates connecting each holcldown shaft to the rock shaft in spaced parallel relation thereto and downwardly swingable to swing the member against the boards.

3. The combination of claim 1, said crank means comprising a crank arm pivoted to its rock shaft and a handle pivoted 0n the crank arm and whereby the crank means isswingable into straightened out position to permit the tailgate to be opened and closed.

4-. The combination of claim 1, said locking means including locking plates on said sides extending through said tailgate, said plates having studs thereon lockably engaging said crank means.

5. In combination With a trailer body having sides and a slat tailgate and a set of boards extending across said body and forming a deck thereon, a pair of horizontal bars inside said body fixed to and extending along said sides and supporting the ends of said boards thereon, a pair of elongated holddown members in said body extending horizontally along and journaled on said sides above the ends of the boards and swingable downwardly onto the ends of the boards into holddown positions, said members each including a rock shaft for swinging said members operatively connected to said members and extending through the slat tailgate rearwardly thereof, crank means on each rock shaft in the rear of the tailgate for rocking the shaft.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

